Introduction
Learn from the work of Joanna Macy about how to transform despair and apathy into collaborative action with this list of curated resources collated by the Commons librarians.
Joanna Macy was an environmental and social justice activist from the United States. She was also an author, teacher, Buddhist scholar, eco-philosopher, and inspiration to many around the world. She has been a voice in movements for peace, civil rights justice, and ecology since the 1960s.
Sadly, on July 19 2025 Joanna passed away – “Joanna Rogers Macy leaves a legacy that will long continue to inform and energize both the work of healing the world from the frenzy of industrialized capitalism, and the complementary movements to come home to the true nature of our being.” – Source
About Joanna Macy
“Ecophilosopher Joanna Macy, PhD, is a scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology. A respected voice in the movements for peace, justice, and ecology, she interweaves her scholarship with five decades of activism. As the root teacher of the Work That Reconnects, she has created a groundbreaking theoretical framework for personal and social change, as well as a powerful workshop methodology for its application.
Her wide-ranging work addresses psychological and spiritual issues of the nuclear age, the cultivation of ecological awareness, and the fruitful resonance between Buddhist thought and contemporary science. The many dimensions of this work are explored in her books and DVD.
Many people around the world have participated in Joanna’s workshops and trainings. Her group methods, known as the Work That Reconnects, have been adopted and adapted yet more widely in classrooms, churches, and grassroots organizing. Her work helps people transform despair and apathy, in the face of overwhelming social and ecological crises, into constructive, collaborative action. It brings a new way of seeing the world, as our larger living body, freeing us from the assumptions and attitudes that now threaten the continuity of life on Earth.” – Source
What are Joanna’s Key Takeaways
1. Transforming Despair into Action
Macy emphasised that acknowledging our pain for the world is not a weakness but a vital source of energy, strength and motivation. Emotions like grief, fear, and anger are signs of our deep care and when they are honoured, they can be transformed into meaningful, creative action.
Don’t be afraid of your sorrow, or grief or rage. Treasure them. They come from your caring. – Joanna Macy, Source
2. Active Hope
Joanna defined “Active Hope” as a practice—not a passive feeling. Her idea of Active Hope encourages us to face harsh realities, imagine a better future, and take steps toward it—hope as a practice, not a feeling.
Active Hope is rooted in courage and imagination, not optimism. It is not detached from suffering but grounded in accepting uncertainty and acting anyway.
Active Hope is waking up to the beauty of life on whose behalf we can act. We belong to this world. – Joanna Macy, Source
It involves facing difficult realities and choosing to envision a better world. It is about taking steps, however small and in whatever way you can, to help bring it about. For example, you might start a podcast or run a permaculture group.
3. The Great Turning
Joanna saw our time as a pivotal moment in history: a transition from an industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilisation. This “Great Turning” involves holding actions to slow damage, building new systems, and shifting consciousness. Others may call this the Sustainability Revolution, or a Post-Growth Society.
The most remarkable feature of this historical moment is not that we are on the way to destroying our world–we’ve actually been on the way quite a while. It is that we are beginning to wake up, as from a millenia-long sleep, to a whole new relationship to our world, to ourselves, and to each other. – Joanna Macy, Source
4. Deep Ecology and Systems Thinking
Drawing from Buddhism, deep ecology, and systems thinking, Macy reminded us that we are not separate from nature—we are the Earth itself, becoming conscious. By staying present in the face of crisis, we cultivate resilience, compassion, and the clarity needed to help shape a better world.
You are not a separate being. You belong to the living body of Earth. You are the Earth, looking up at the stars. You are the Earth, becoming conscious of itself. – Joanna Macy, Source
5. Being Present as a Radical Act
Joanna encouraged radical presence. The ability to truly see and feel what is happening in the world without numbing or turning away. By doing this we are open to grief and love which in turn deepens our capacity to respond with clarity and compassion.
The most radical thing any of us can do at this time is to be fully present to what is happening in the world. – Joanna Macy
6. The Work That Reconnects
The Work That Reconnects is a framework developed by Joanna for personal and social change in the face of overwhelming crises. It guides people through four key stages:
- Coming from Gratitude
- Honouring Our Pain for the World
- Seeing with New Eyes
- Going Forth
Of all the dangers we face, from climate chaos to nuclear war, none is so great as the deadening of our response. – Joanna Macy, Source
Resources
Joanna has produced many resources and we have featured a few below so you can learn about her work. To find out more go to:
Books
Joanna has published many books – here are 5 to browse below, for more explore Joanna’s website.
World as Lover, World as Self: 30th Anniversary Edition: Courage for Global Justice and Ecological Renewal
Joanna Macy, 2023, Originally published 1993
“An enduring classic of the ecology movement by the founder of the Work That Reconnects, now more timely than ever. Humanity is in an existential crisis. Facing the magnitude of our global situation as individuals leaves us feeling alone, disempowered, and despairing. Who better to listen to for wisdom and solace than Joanna Macy, one of the originators of modern environmentalism, whose life’s work has been to hear and heal our pain for the planet?
World as Lover, World as Self draws on a lifetime of wisdom to offer a re-focus on the natural world, where readers can find the strength and spiritual nourishment to envision a new future for humanity built on a sustainable relationship with the earth. Rooted in the Buddha’s teachings of paticca samuppada or “interdependent co-arising,” Macy’s reflections are especially relevant for activists who want to address the underlying mindsets of fear, greed, and selfishness that give rise to overconsumption and the ultimate destruction of our world. Both heartbreaking and uplifting, this definitive edition of World as Lover, World as Self will give a new generation of readers the tools and understanding with which to meet today’s challenges and crises.” – Source
About Book and excerpt
Watch Video
Listen to Podcast
Borrow from a library near you
Active Hope (Revised): How to Face the Mess We’re in with Unexpected Resilience and Creative Power
Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone, 2022, First published 2012
“The challenges we face can be difficult even to think about. Climate change, war, political polarization, economic upheaval, and the dying back of nature together create a planetary emergency of overwhelming proportions. This revised, tenth anniversary edition of Active Hope shows us how to strengthen our capacity to face these crises so that we can respond with unexpected resilience and creative power. Drawing on decades of teaching an empowerment approach known as the Work That Reconnects, the authors guide us through a transformational process informed by mythic journeys, modern psychology, spirituality, and holistic science. This process equips us with tools to face the mess we’re in and play our role in the collective transition, or Great Turning, to a life-sustaining society.” – Source
Book website
Active Hope free training course
First two chapters online
Book extracts
Other Languages
Videos about Active Hope
Short Video – Short animation – What is Active Hope? Active Hope is…
Text from Chapter 2 of the book by Joanna Macy.
Pass it On: Five Stories That Can Change the World
Joanna Macy and Norbert Gahbler, 2016
“Eco-philosopher and best-selling author Joanna Macy, Ph.D., shares five stories from her more than thirty years of studying and practicing Buddhism and deep ecology.
Gathered on her travels to India, Russia, Australia, and Tibet, these stories give testament to Joanna Macy’s belief that either humankind awakens to a new and deeper understanding of our interconnectedness with our planet and all its myriad forms of life or risks losing it. To bring about such a transformation of consciousness each and every one of us counts.
Pass It On tells of encounters with individuals who share very personal stories of sudden awakening, unexpected awareness, and the co-mingling of joy and pain. Each story is imbued with the specific cultural flavor of the places where the stories originate, but all share that each individual counts in the global need for change and awakening.
Pass It On provides an introduction to Joanna Macy’s work of “deep ecology” and “the great turning” and the deep interconnected nature of all beings.” – Source
Book website
Book excerpt
Borrow from a library near you
Coming Back to Life: The Updated Guide to the Work That Reconnects
2014, Joanna Macy and Molly Brown
“Deepening global crises surround us, causing many to fall prey to denial and despair. Coming Back to Life shows how grief, anger, and fear are healthy responses to the harsh realities of our time, and that when honored through the revolutionary practice of the Work That Reconnects, they can free us from paralysis and move us toward creative action.
This new, completely updated edition of the classic text illuminates the extraordinary Work that has inspired hundreds of thousands to make strides towards the creation of a life-sustaining human culture. Buddhist scholar and environmental activist Joanna Macy and Molly Young Brown introduce the Work’s theoretical foundations, revealing the angst of our era with remarkable insight. Pointing the way forward out of apathy, they offer personal counsel as well as easy-to-use methods for group process that profoundly affect people’s outlook and ability to act in the world.” – Source
Book excerpt
Book preview
Translated versions
Borrow from a library near you
Coming Back to Life Readings and Practices – Podcast with 10 Episodes
A facilitator of The Work That Reconnects, Joanna Tomkins reads extracts and introduces practices from the book “Coming Back to Life”, by Joanna Macy and Molly Young Brown.
Thinking Like a Mountain: Towards a Council of All Beings
John Seed, Joanna Macy, Arne Naess and Pat Fleming, 1988
Thinking Like a Mountain is a book of readings, meditations, rituals and workshop notes to help us remember that environmental defense is nothing less than “Self” defense. A deep ecology educational tool for activist, school and religious groups.
Book – Free Online
Book – PDF
Other Language – French
Borrow from a library near you
Podcasts
There are many interviews with Joanna Macy one can listen to – here are a few below.
We are the Great Turning Podcast (10+ episodes)
“We welcome you to the kitchen table of the legendary eco-spiritual teacher Joanna Macy, where we’ll dive into what it takes to live with our hearts and integrity intact in this time of global crisis. You’ll be guided into these conversations by Jess Serrante, a longtime activist and student of Joanna’s. Together, we’ll discover abiding wisdom that can help us stay joyful and energized as we work toward a more just and life-sustaining world.” – Source
On Being with Krista Tippett with Joanna Macy: Hope Portal, Episode 5, 2025
“Our teacher and inspiration for this session is Joanna Macy. What she embodies is a wild love for the world and a fierce hope that rises irrepressible from that. And she carries and lives an important reminder to us that when we love, we will also know pain, and we will know grief that can feel too awful to bear. When we talk about the muscle of hope being reality-based, that means that it does not call us to be brimming with optimism where that is not warranted. What we’re called to do is stay present. And when you’re present, there will be grieving to do, but that this — strangely, interestingly, kind of miraculously — increases our capacity to love this world. And it unleashes intelligence and ingenuity to sustain that love across a lifetime, as Joanna Macy has.” – Source
Joanna Macy – Treasuring your Emotional Connection to the World: What could possibly go right?
Joanna Macy, Ph.D, author & teacher, is a scholar of Buddhism, systems thinking, and deep ecology. A respected voice in movements for peace, justice, and ecology, she interweaves her scholarship with learnings from six decades of activism. Her wide-ranging work addresses psychological and spiritual issues of the nuclear age, the cultivation of ecological awareness, and the fruitful resonance between Buddhist thought and postmodern science. The many dimensions of this work are explored in her thirteen books, which include three volumes of poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke with translation and commentary.
She addresses the question of “What Could Possibly Go Right?” with thoughts including:
- “There’s so much joy and courage… in finding a purpose”
- Choosing “to be starkly present in this moment and now” is a radical act
- “Don’t be afraid of your sorrow or grief or rage. Treasure them. They come from your caring.”
- These emotions “will nurture in you a fierce clarity for what can be done”
Videos
Conscious Being: Wisdom of Joanna Macy, 2025, (29 mins)
A scholar, activist, and Buddhist thinker, Joanna Macy, PhD, has shaped movements worldwide. This short film highlights her impact on activism, nuclear guardianship, and personal transformation, and showcases how the Joanna Macy Center at Naropa continues to inspire hope and responsibility for future generations, both locally and beyond.
The Great Turning
Joanna Macy is an environmental activist, author, and scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology. She is most renowned for her book “Coming Back to Life: Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World” and the Great Turning initiative which she discusses here in this short film.
The Work that Reconnects Workshop Videos
The Work That Reconnects is a workshop series that explores how to evoke creative, compassionate and transformational responses to the ecological crises of our time. Eco-philosopher Joanna Macy, Ph.D., is a scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology. A respected voice in movements for peace, justice, and ecology, she interweaves her scholarship with four decades of activism. She has created a ground-breaking theoretical framework for personal and social change, as well as a powerful workshop methodology for its application.
Articles
Joanna has written many articles. Here are a few below – see more on her website.
Working Through Environmental Despair, Joanna Macy
from Ecosychology, Roszak, Gomes, & Kanner, eds., (Sierra Club 1995), PDF 9 pgs
Entering the Bardo, Emergency Magazine, 2020
In this op-ed, eco-philosopher and Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy introduces us to the bardo—the Tibetan Buddhist concept of a gap between worlds where transition is possible. As the pandemic reveals ongoing collapse and holds a mirror to our collective ills, she writes, we have the opportunity to step into a space of reimagining.
Related Practical Tools
- Hope, Imagination, and Remaking the World: A Journal for Pondering and Practicing, On Being
- The Active Hope Foundations Training
A free, video-based, engaging & practical online course designed to nourish our capacity to make a difference in the world. - Active Hope Book – Support to set up a book club
- Guided Meditation “Breathing Through”
Explore Further
- Resources to Cope With Climate Anxiety and Grief
- Climate Activism Coping Strategies: 5 Tips for Mental and Physical Health
- Health and Climate Activism
- There’s No Place for Burnout in a Burning World
- Activist Burnout Guide with Videos
- Activist Support and Debriefing
- Feminist Influencing Basket of Resources
- Radical Imagination: Developing Conscious Activists’ Capacities
- Jane McAlevey: Organizer Extraordinaire
- bell hooks: Ideas for Social Justice